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Melissa Mpofu in Victoria Falls
More Zimbabweans this year heeded the call to travel to Victoria Falls to attend the well organised carnival that brought together thousands of party lovers from across the globe.

This event, now in its sixth year, has grown tremendously, judging by its patronage this year which almost doubled that of last year. Socialites from both Bulawayo and Harare were spotted having a good time at the event.

In the past years, it had been patronised mostly by foreigners, but this year, locals decided to join in on the fun at one of the world’s seven wonders.

The event itself did not disappoint as it was worth every dime, from the African Train and Bush party on Friday to the New Year’s Eve bash held yesterday.

The three trains were all oversubscribed as people did not want to miss out on the bush party fun. DJ Francis ensured he hyped people up with his thumping beats on the train before handing them over to a host of DJs at the bush venue — Jafuta. Here, people partied till the wee hours of the morning, not fearing the big five considering that they were in a national park.

But in all this, comedian Carl Joshua learnt the hard way as he had his brand new Samsung S8 mobile phone stolen by thieves who masqueraded as his fans. Narrating his ordeal, Carl Joshua said a group of about eight people screamed when they saw him and ambushed him before taking out their phones to take pictures with the celebrity.

After a couple of snaps, they left in a huff and when the comedian checked his pocket to get his phone, he realised it was missing. Immediately, he knew he had been robbed by someone from that group and when he tried looking for them, he could not find them though he insists he remembers their faces. However, he was not the only one whose phone was stolen during the carnival as quite a number of people were seen flocking to the police to report their stolen items.

However, despite this hiccup which is only natural at most events that attract many people, Black Coffee, who undeniably was the highlight of the festival this year, had music lovers eating from the palm of his hand when he took to the decks on Saturday. He showed why he was one of the most sought after DJs in Africa as he wowed the crowds with little effort.

Mi Casa who performed before Black Coffee also dazzled, especially the females who screamed for the better part of the set as they were charmed by J Something.

In an interview, one of the event’s founders, Blessing Munyenyiwa said they were glad the event went according to plan.

“It’s always great having such a great turnout as it shows that you’re doing something right. This year has been quite special as a lot of Zimbabweans came through to witness the event,” said Munyenyiwa.

Carl Joshua, who is now a self-appointed Vic Falls ambassador, was also thrilled by the number of locals who patronised the event that he offered to host a barbeque to host local visitors at his new home in the resort town.

“I’ve seen so many friends of mine from Harare and Bulawayo here and it’s quite great as it shows that as locals, we’ve now taken charge and are also now enjoying what our country has to offer,” said Carl Joshua.

The carnival ended last night with a New Year’s Eve concert at the Victoria Falls Farm School.